Bag tie



Jan. 16, 1968 I H. s. NEMROD ETAL 3,3

.BAG TIE Filed Aug. 16, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR; flernyo? #zxzwad By famr j/Qw KMIW ATTORNEY Jan. 16, 1968 H. s. NEMROD ET AL 3,363,293

' BAG TIE Filed Aug. 16, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TORS' m J1 Mnzm 7%? as M/svzz /cmz z. W

ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,363,293 BAG TIE Henry S. Nemrod and Thomas Watson, both of 137 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106 Filed Aug. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 572,758 1 Claim. (Cl. 2430.5)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to the general field of paper supplies and more particularly is directed to a novel, flexible plastic tie designed to secure the open end of plastic bags.

At the present time, it is the common practice to place food or other perishable articles within a flexible plastic bag fabricated from a thin sheet plastic such as polyethylene and then to secure the open end to retard the passage of air and thus to maintain the stored articles in as fresh condition as possible. Thin wire ties covered with paper are most commonly utilized for this purpose. While these ties are extremely inexpensive in manufacture their etficiency is Very low due to the fact that a tight closure cannot be maintained. When such ties are employed, air openings invariably remain at the top of the bag no matter how hard the tie is twisted or how tightly it is knotted. Further, in many instances, the ties presently in use tear through the paper covering causing the wire components to interlock and resist opening.

In addition it is often desired to hang thin plastic bags for display purposes in stores and for storing articles of clothing such as shoes in the home. There is no device readily available for this purpose, and attempts to cut holes in the plastic material itself for hanging purposes almost always results in tearing the bag.

The instant invention seeks to overcome all of the shortcomings of the prior art devices by incorporating construction that completely eliminates the necessity for interior wire parts. In addition, upraised structure has been utilized to close a plastic bag opening and to positively prevent the passage of air.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved device of the type set forth.

It is another object of this invention to provide a flexible bag tie of resilient construction that resists permanent deformation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel bag tie incorporating integral locking features.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel bag tie incorporating upraised bag engaging construction.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel bag tie including integral means to positively seal the top opening of a thin plastic bag.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a novel bag tie incorporating construction to facilitate hanging the bag for display or storage purposes.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel bag tie that is rugged in construction, extremely inexpensive in manufacture and trouble free upon use.

Other objects and fuller understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in con- 3,363,293 Patented Jan. 16, 1968 junction with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a novel bag tie in accordance with the instant invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan View thereof.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view thereof.

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the invention in folded position.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the invention showing the bag tie in use.

FIG. 9 is a top sectional view taken across the top of the bag tie of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the bag tie utilized to hand a bag for display purposes.

Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the bag tie 10 comprises a unitary, elongated, flat base section including a wider receiving section 12 and a narrower locking section 14 and accessory projections all integrally molded from a thermoplastic type of resilient plastic material such as polyethylene.

The receiving section terminates outwardly in a finger grasp 16 which may take the form of a circularly formed hole. The grasp can also serve to hang the bag upon a hook if desired. A receiving hole 18 pierces the section 12 inwardly from the finger grasp 16 and is sized to receive and retain the locking lug 20. The lug 20 projects above the locking section 14 near its outward end and comprises a cylindrical body 22 which terminates upwardly in a mushroom type cap 24. The cap 24 is generally dome-shaped and is fabricated to a greater diameter than that of the body 22 thereby providing a peripheral flat locking flange 26 at the juncture thereof. The dome shape serves to facilitate the entrance of the lug 20 into the receiving hole 18 and the fiat flange 26 serves to lock it into the closed position.

A pair of bag engaging arms 28, 30 medially project above the tie 10 near the transition piece 32 which joins the respective sections 12, 14. Each arm 28, 30 is substantially semi-circularly formed, with the highest point being shifted slightly toward the wider end of the tie. The upper portions of the arms 28, 30 bulge inwardly toward each other in bulbous engaging lugs 34, 36 to receive the knob-like projection 38 which extends above the locking section 14 inwardly from the locking lug 20. The projection 38 is semi-circularly formed and axially positioned to overlie the space 40 remaining between the engaging lugs 34, 36 when the tie 10 is folded over about the transition piece 32. The projection 38 terminates upwardly in a locking knob 42 having a width greater than the space 40 and a depth sufiicient to project below the engaging lugs 34, 36 when folded to the locked position hereinafter more fully described.

In order to use my invention, a thin plastic bag 44 is first opened, the goods to be enclosed are placed therein and the top is pinched together. The bag tie 10 is then applied to the previously restricted portion of the bag top and is folded about the transition piece 32 to the position indicated in FIG. 7. The locking lug 20 is forced into the receiving opening 18, and the natural resiliency of the plastic material allows the cap 24 to pass there through. The material of the receiving section 12 then returns to its natural position thus locking the flange 26 against the underside 46 of the receiving section 12 to secure the bag tie 10 to the plastic bag 44.

In this folded position, the projection 38 overlies the space 40 between the arms 28, 30 and the plastic material of the bag'is interposed therebetween. By simple pres-sing the locking section 14 against the receiving section 12 by use of the thumb and forefinger, the knob 42 of the projection 38 can be forced between the engaging lugs 34, 36 of the arms 28, 30. The resiliency of the arms permit them to flex outwardly to receive the knob 42 and then to return to their original positions once the knob has passed. It will be appreciated that the knob will also force two thicknesses of the plastic vbag between the arms 28, 30 and thus the bag will be firmly clamped and closed in airtight engagement between the knob 42 and the lugs 34, 36.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bag tie, the combination of a flat receiving section and a flat locking section extending therefrom,

said locking section being narrower than the said receiving section,

said locking section joining said receiving section through a transition piece, and

said receiving section being provided with a receiving opening near its free end;

4 a locking lug integrally formed with the said locking section and located near its free end,

said locking lug being insertable within the said receiving opening, and a portion of the said locking lug being of greater diameter than the said receiving opening; a pair of spaced arms integrally formed in the said receiving section,

said arms being inwardly positioned from the said receiving opening, 7 said arms terminating upwardly in inwardly projecting engaging lugs to define a space therebetween; and an integral projection rising above the said locking section inwardly from the said locking lug,

said projection terminating upwardly in lug locking means, said locking means terminating upwardly in a widened knob, the width of said knob being greater than the said space defined between the said engaging lugs, whereby the said widened knob may be secured between the said spaced arms below the engaging lugs when the receiving section and the locking section are pressed together.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner. 

